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Staff Senate celebrates first year with election, praise from Todd
The University of Kentucky Staff Senate celebrated its first year of operation and elected new officers at its July 10 meeting. UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. addressed the meeting and expressed his appreciation of the Staff Senate’s continued input to him and discussions about staff issues. Todd told the staff senators – 60 of whom were newly elected and were attending their first Staff Senate meeting – that the university had reallocated $2.5 million in its new annual operating budget to keep from raising health insurance costs for employees. He praised employees for helping hold health care costs down. The president also told the senators that the staff organization will have a new office in the Main Building (old Administration Building) after the building is restored. Todd said he believes the building will be ready for occupancy in about a year. Sheila Brothers, who works in the Metabolic Research Group of the Department of Internal Medicine, UK College of Medicine, was elected chair of the Staff Senate. Brothers, a native of New Hampshire who graduated from Lafayette High School in Lexington, is a UK graduate who now lives in Bourbon County. Other new officers of the Staff Senate are John Gambill, electrical services, Physical Plant Division, vice chair; Aimee Heald, Agricultural Communications, College of Agriculture, secretary; Kimberly Judd, General Accounting, treasurer; and Pat Van Meter, Veterinary Science Department, College of Agriculture, parliamentarian. Commission establishes President’s Award for Diversity
The University of Kentucky has established a new award recognizing individual and organizational efforts to support and promote diversity within the university. The President’s Commission on Diversity (PCD) has outlined the parameters and criteria for the new President’s Award for Diversity and has issued a call for nominations. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 2, and UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. will make the award presentation Sept. 29. Winners will receive a plaque and $500. “It is past time to honor and show our appreciation for those who work and dedicate themselves to diversifying this campus and creating a greater understanding among the many diverse groups that exist at UK,” Todd said. In keeping with the spirit of the president’s directive, John Harris, acting director of the PCD, said the impetus for this award is grounded in the contemporary significance of diversity in its many contexts. “Excellence does not exist in the absence of diversity,” Harris said. Harris also noted the description of the new award: “At no time in history has the issue of institutional diversity demanded greater attention and consciousness at the center stage in the preparation of educators and professionals for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as well as the United States. In fact, ever present are vivid reminders of the need for greater understanding of the role the University of Kentucky, as the state’s flagship land-grant institution, plays in this process and the expectations on its leadership. If Kentucky and this nation are to prosper through the efforts of all its citizenry, then all citizens must realize, understand, and embrace diversity.” Nominations can be made in four categories: 1) UK administrator or faculty member; 2) UK staff member; 3) UK student; 4) a Kentucky agency, company, organization or individual (non-student or employee) who has assisted the university in diversity efforts. Nominees
must meet one or more of the following criteria: “It is not only important for the University of Kentucky to reward people and groups for their work in diversity, it also is important for the University to make certain that diversity is a concept that is constantly recognized in its definition and pursuit of academic excellence,” UK Provost Michael T. Nietzel said. Todd said he created the President’s Commission on Diversity to emphasize and elevate the need for creating a more diverse campus, which by design recognizes the benefits of embracing and nurturing the unique contributions of the larger university community. “For UK to become a top-20 university, we must appreciate and teach our students to appreciate a diverse environment,” he said. Nomination packets should include a letter of nomination, resume and supporting materials such as letters of recommendation or other pertinent information which will be reviewed by a committee appointed by Harris. Nominations can be submitted to John Harris III by e-mail at PCD@uky.edu or by mail at the Office of the President, President’s Commission on Diversity, University of Kentucky, Room 2, Gillis Building, Lexington, KY 40506-0033. For more information about the President’s Award for Diversity and its nomination guidelines, call the PCD office at 257-3493 or visit the PCD Web site at www.uky.edu/PCD. Research award dollars break recordThe University of Kentucky set another record in research grants and contracts with a fiscal year 2002-03 total of $222.7 million, up 5 percent from the previous fiscal year. UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. commended the faculty and staff of the university for the record achievement in research. “The faculty and staff involved in our research enterprise should celebrate this outstanding achievement,” said Todd. They are to be congratulated on their accomplishments over the past year that contributed to this success.” Todd said this revenue is vital to the university as UK strives to become a leading research institution. “This is really a significant amount of money, given the economy and given some of the challenges that the university has faced with funding in the past few years.” The majority of grants and contracts were funded by federal agencies. Awards from federal agencies totaled $131.1 million and accounted for 58.9 percent of UK’s total awards. The major federal agencies sponsoring UK research are the Department of Health and Human Services (including the 21 National Institutes of Health); the National Science Foundation; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; departments of Education, Energy and Defense; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and the Small Business Administration. UK also received grants and contracts from Kentucky agencies and organizations. These awards totaled $53.1 million in fiscal year 2003. In addition, UK researchers received $38.5 million from businesses, industries and foundations. “I am very pleased to see research growing at UK,” said Wendy Baldwin, Executive Vice President for Research. “The total is especially encouraging because the growth is so widespread. Faculty all across the campus are continuing - and expanding - their involvement in research. Also, our support from all the major federal funders has increased. It is important that we have a strong sustainable research base.” Success in UK research efforts has a significant impact on Kentucky citizens. Each research dollar spent is turned over an estimated three times in the Kentucky economy. Also, research dollars contribute to the expertise in research and in clinical medicine for the major health issues of this region and the nation. “This is an exciting time for UK,” Baldwin said. “We look forward to seeing the results of our research efforts and the changes that they make in the lives of the citizens of the Commonwealth and the nation.” BriefsUniversity
Optical opens in Kentucky Clinic The facility, a full-service optical dispensary, located on the first floor of the Kentucky Clinic, offers patients a wide selection of eyeglass frames, sunglasses, sports/safety eyewear, and accessories. In addition, major and minor repairs as well as adjustments will be performed. University Optical is a participating provider in the new university vision plan called Eye-MedTM. UK HMO members who opted not to purchase the university vision plan can still take advantage of the convenience of the new facility and receive a 25 percent discount on prescription eyewear (frames and lenses) and 10 percent off all non-prescription sunglasses, rigid gas permeable contact lenses, and accessories. For more information, call 323-5867.
Metabolic
Research Group to hold open house To introduce the new location, they are extending an open invitation to the UK community to attend an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4. Shuttles will run from the mural in front of the UK Chandler Medical Center every half hour, beginning at 10 am. Light food items will be served and informational handouts will be available for visitors. Under James Anderson, professor of Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, the group has been conducting clinical research studies in the areas of obesity, diabetes, and cholesterol for almost 30 years and is currently enrolling volunteers for research on the cholesterol-lowering effects of certain foods. For more information, call 257-4058. Second annual Women’s Football Clinic set for August 2
University of Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks will host UK’s second annual Women’s Football Clinic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Commonwealth Stadium. The clinic is being offered for women who know football well and to those who just want to learn more about the game. All who attend the clinic will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of Coach Brooks and the entire 2003 Wildcat coaching staff. The clinic will include sessions for beginners, as well as sessions for more advanced aficionados, covering the major aspects of the game. A rules seminar, with an actual game referee, will be held to discuss rules violations. Participants will visit with the strength and conditioning staff, training staff, and equipment staff and will be given a tour of the football facilities. The cost for the women’s clinic is $40 per person and includes the tours, lunch, a T-shirt, door prizes, auction items, and a full day of instruction. “This is a fun event and a great opportunity to learn and become more involved in the game of football,” Brooks said. To participate, send your name, address, phone number, and clinic fee to UK Women’s Football Clinic, Room 4, Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY 40506-0019. More information will be mailed upon receipt of your registration. A fee of $50 will be charged after Aug. 1. For more information, call 257-3611. Campus seeking StormReady® certificationUniversity of Kentucky Extension Meteorologist Tom Priddy is nearing completion of an ambitious project that will enable all UK employees and students to be notified of approaching severe weather and to know where to go if life-threatening weather strikes the campus. Following the guidelines of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service program StormReady®, Priddy, his staff and students have inspected, identified and mapped severe weather shelter locations in 100 of the most heavily populated buildings on campus, including all residence halls. The StormReady® program was created by the National Weather Service to enable citizens to become better prepared to respond to severe storms through planning, education and awareness. “The top goal of StormReady® is to prepare communities with an action plan that responds to the threat of all types of severe weather,” said Curtis Carey of the National Weather Service public affairs office. During the second week in August, a team of National Weather Service officials will visit campus to determine if UK qualifies for a StormReady® Community certification. If granted, UK will be the nation’s largest university, as well as the first land-grant university, to achieve this designation. Only two universities have achieved StormReady® status, Abilene Christian University in Texas and Northern Illinois University. To date, 14 Kentucky communities are StormReady®. Emphasizing the need for storm preparedness, Priddy noted that this spring more than 400 tornadoes were reported across the United States, including a record 13 in Kentucky, causing loss of lives, many injuries, and property damage. In the past year, two institutions of higher learning have received direct hits from tornadoes: Del Mar College in Texas and the University of Maryland. “We all know it can happen here,” Priddy said. “With everyone’s help, the UK campus will provide the safest environment possible for students and employees during severe storms.” Web pages showing Severe Weather Shelter locations have been created for every floor in every building on campus. Access to this information is available on a campus map at wwwagwx.ca.uky.edu/stormready/map.html. Priddy asks that all department Web sites add a link to their building/department StormReady® page to ensure that all personnel can see their severe weather safe place. Contact Priddy with any questions regarding such postings. As the StormReady® certification process nears completion, weather radios will be installed in buildings, and special software will be made available that allows weather radio to stream on desktop PCs and emit a computer-generated alert when severe weather approaches. UK officials are reviewing and updating existing severe weather plans. A severe weather shelter sign has been designed and will be displayed in selected high-population buildings and all university residence halls. In addition, Priddy and his colleagues are conducting storm spotter training to teach any interested employee or student how to recognize dangerous weather conditions. The next class is scheduled for Tuesday, July 29, from 9 to 11 a.m. or 7 to 9 p.m. in 227 C. E. Barnhart Building. The training is free and open to all employees and students. To register, contact Priddy at 257-8803 ext. 245 or at priddy@uky.edu. Staff Report Conference Management Office offers full event services
Late this month, Kathy McKinley, Deborah Hazard, and their staff at the University of Kentucky Conference Management Office will make sure room assignments, registration, catering and other details for nearly 700 people come off without a hitch. They performed the last-minute logistics for UK’s College Business Management Institute (CBMI), an educational event that draws administrators from colleges and universities across the country to this campus. “It’s what we call a ‘full-service conference,’” said McKinley, who with Hazard serves as the office’s lead event coordinator. Conferences and institutes are the office’s bread and butter, and it has handled dozens of them regularly through the years, particularly the CBMI, Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, and the Kentucky Fire School. It also has overseen the arrangements for 2002’s American Society for Virology, an event that brought several thousand researchers from around the world to UK. By handling the logistics of setting up conferences, the office gives greater freedom to its unit clients to focus more on building relationships with conference speakers and attendees, instead of being distracted by hotel arrangements and myriad other details. The work involves helping campus units set up the conferences; schedule meeting rooms to accommodate participants; arrange banquets, other meals and entertainment; arrange bus transportation as needed; and work with Lexington hotels to obtain blocks of rooms at discounted prices. The office also arranges for supplies like conference bags, mugs, pencils, badges and other keepsakes for attendees. It helps design Web sites, brochures, signage and conference materials, as well as negotiates with exhibitors and vendors regarding their on-site activities and needs. Last summer’s virology conference added a new factor to conference management, concerns about security and bioterrorism, especially considering the attendees’ areas of expertise. “We were asked about security a lot, because we had people coming here from around the world,” McKinley said. So the office made sure UK Police were out in force and that presenters and attendees were properly credentialed and identified. Media representatives who covered sessions also were required to seek credentials. “There are a lot of challenges in what we do,” Hazard said. “We’re juggling so many things at one time.” McKinley and Hazard agree that the main work comes in the months and weeks leading up to each conference. By the time the conferences arrive, they progress under their own momentum. “We do have to troubleshoot, and we have some monitoring we have to do to make sure things go smoothly,” Hazard said. The UK Conference Management Office can be reached at 257-3929. Its Web site is www.uky.edu/AuxServ/conferences.html. CIS helps smokers kick the habitIf you smoke and want to quit, there is something you should know. Smokers who want to quit are twice as likely to succeed if they use a telephone helpline. The Cancer Information Service can help you quit smoking with free one-on-one assistance from specially trained information specialists. CIS specialists can explain how quitting will improve your health, discuss different ways to quit, help you understand why you smoke, and develop an action plan for quitting. In addition to being free, personalized and convenient, CIS cessation assistance is effective. Smokers can call the CIS at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Calls are answered in English and Spanish. The CIS, a program of the National Cancer Institute, is a free, public service designed to meet the information needs of cancer patients, their families, health professionals, and the public. As the nation’s foremost source for cancer information, the CIS provides the latest, most accurate information on cancer prevention, detection, treatment and supportive care. The CIS of the Mid-South is one of 14 regional CIS offices. Based at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, it serves Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. For more information about CIS, go to its Web site at www2.kcr.uky.edu/cis. UK teams with Lexmark, Dell to collect 47.5 tons of obsolete computer equipmentOn June 28 the University of Kentucky teamed with Lexmark and Dell to gather 47.5 tons of obsolete and old computer equipment, enough to cover an entire football field, that will not end up in the state’s landfills. “Without UK we would not have been able to conduct this event. The space has been wonderful,” said Michele Glaze, a representative of Dell Corporate Communications. One of the first to arrive to contribute was a school bus from Danville, filled with old computers; it was soon followed by a car load from the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. The city of Lexington was able to save thousands of dollars by contributing six truckloads of obsolete computer equipment. Many participants stated that they were very happy to have had the opportunity to get rid of the computers safely and for free. Dell has teamed with the National Cristina Foundation in identifying non-profit organizations that can benefit from refurbished computers. Organizations such as the Bluegrass Technology Center and the Urban League of Lexington will receive computers from Saturday’s collection. “UK is very proud to have built a partnership with Lexmark and Dell to participate in the nationwide 2003 Dell Recycling tour,” said Tom Gregory, UK recycling coordinator. “This tour has given many Kentuckians the opportunity to donate old computer equipment for the benefit of the environment and the community.” EWC aimed at nontraditional student, offers 427 courses
What began as a few courses offered in the evenings and weekends in 1953 has grown into a whopping 427 courses in 70 fields of study with a 10,000-plus enrollment in the University of Kentucky Evening and Weekend College (EWC). The spring 2003 enrollment of 10,492 students for 30,724 credit hours equated to nearly $5 million in tuition income, said Cecile McKinney, EWC coordinator. A 20-page tabloid insert in the Lexington Herald-Leader for the spring semester of classes offered by EWC lists courses ranging from geography to Germanic languages and from epidemiology to educational and counseling psychology. EWC also promotes its activities in a highly-successful back-to-school workshop aimed primarily at nontraditional-aged students and workshops for adults held twice a year and a variety of on- and off-campus presentations aimed primarily at nontraditional-aged students. The wide range of offerings, McKinney noted, helps EWC recruit and retain a target student population of “nontraditional-aged students and students enrolling nontraditionally.” It does not take a long conversation with the knowledgeable, ebullient McKinney, who earned her own college education as a nontraditional-aged honors student, before you hear the names of some of the more successful UK students: • Chris Creech, a UK carpenter, used his employee educational benefits to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management from the Gatton College of Business and Economics and is now a law student. (An expert in finish carpentry, Creech has worked in the UK cabinet shop since 1996 and has even fashioned mahogany furniture that now adorns Maxwell Place, the UK president’s home.) • Jonathan “Finn” Green, a nontraditional honors student, received a 2003 Sullivan Medallion, one of the highest honors granted to a member of a UK graduating class. Green overcame a business failure early in his life in the thoroughbred industry before returning to college. • George Randall Lawson, another nontraditional-aged student, graduated magna cum laude in 2000 from the College of Social Work. Lawson, who had worked in UK’s Disability Resource Center, also received the prestigious Sullivan Medallion. “Those highly successful students just wouldn’t have achieved their academic goals without weekend and evening classes,” McKinney commented. Though the EWC success stories mostly relate to undergraduate students, McKinney is quick to point out that graduate level courses are in high demand. “We actually offer more master’s degree courses than undergraduate courses, including an MBA.” McKinney also pointed out that EWC offers unique support to students enrolling in evening and weekend courses. Series include special one-stop registration sessions where an individual may apply for admission as an undergraduate or graduate student, meet with an academic adviser and enroll in courses. Additionally, EWC staff members act as liaisons for students between academic units and student support services. Services include limited advising and referral and financial aid opportunities. EWC manages a scholarship program for several organizations – which includes UK Woman’s Club, Lexington Suburban Woman’s Club, Rowena McClinton, Carol Williams, Lexington Chapter PEO Organization – that awards scholarships totaling about $30,000 annually. The EWC office in Frazee Hall is open on weekday evenings until 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. EWC also administers the award-winning Association for Continuing Higher Education Distinguished Credit Program that generates more than $1.6 million in gross revenue each semester. The purpose of this program is to encourage scheduling of courses in the evening and on the weekend that are in high demand by students and to provide instructional and revenue incentive to participating colleges and departments. For more information about EWC, call 257-3159 or go to www.uky.edu/UExt/ evening_weekend.html. A toll-free number for persons calling outside of Lexington is (800) 432-0963. Kentucky GROW awards mini-grantsThe University of Kentucky Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute’s Kentucky GROW Project recently awarded mini-grants to three area organizations for the development of recreational gardening opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Interested persons with disabilities can enjoy the recreational and vocational outcomes that accompany horticultural and gardening pursuits. Five sites across Kentucky already have adaptive gardens and through assistance from the Kentucky GROW Mini-Grant program. The three new sites are in Henderson, Versailles and downtown Lexington. “We are all very excited about working with these new partners and can’t wait to begin assisting in their new endeavors,” said Matt John, project director. Kentucky GROW is an inclusive gardening program that introduces persons with physical, sensory and mental disabilities to horticulture and gardening in inclusive settings. The Hugh Edward Sandefur Training Center, Inc. of Henderson will develop raised beds and other accessible gardens for growing and selling perennial and annual flowers. Participants at this site will market flowers through weekly sales and delivery to local businesses, through on-site sales and at the local farmer’s market. In Versailles, the Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service will develop the Good Sense Garden, which is a barrier-free demonstration garden utilizing a variety of plants selected to appeal to all five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. Through the use of raised beds, trellis and vertical gardening, containers and hanging baskets, individuals with or without disabilities can enjoy and utilize the garden site. Latitude, LLC will develop a community garden in downtown Lexington which will be accessible through the use of raised beds. The participants will include consumers from Latitude and other members of the community. They will grow herbs and vegetables and market to local restaurants. For more information about the Kentucky GROW Project, please contact John at 257-2078 or visit the Web site at www.ihdi.uky.edu/kygrow/. Submitted A&S assistant dean working on UK graduation contract
The University of Kentucky is preparing a new “graduation contract” for students that may be implemented as early as the fall semester 2004. The contract, which may be signed voluntarily by students, will be aimed at improving the chances of students graduating in a timely fashion, four years in most instances, said Richard Greissman, who is in charge of developing and implementing the graduation contract proposal. The need for a graduation contract like those used at the universities of Indiana and Iowa was emphasized in a recent report submitted to UK Provost Michael T. Nietzel by a committee chaired by Jeffrey Dembo, University Senate chair. The committee reported that a higher education survey revealed that only 28.1 percent of students at public universities completed their studies within four years and that even after six years, only slightly more than half received degrees. After establishing graduation contracts, the committee reported, the number of students who gradated in a timely fashion from both Indiana and Iowa increased dramatically. The committee concluded UK should consider creating a graduation contract for its students. Based on the report, Nietzel announced at the June 24 UK Board of Trustees meeting that Greissman, an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, will head the UK effort to plan and implement a new UK graduation contract. Greissman, who has been at UK since 1986, will work on two other projects in coming months. He will help prepare a living/learning communities model for UK Student Services and will work to enhance UK’s efforts involving the Rhodes, Goldwater, Truman, Marshall, Udall and other major scholarships. Greissman said a proposed graduation contract between the university and UK students will help focus a student’s attention on the “task at hand.” “What we’re going to say to the student is that if you stay on task, we’ll provide the courses to make sure you graduate on time in four years,” he added. The first step in the effort, Greissman said, will be to work with deans, department chairs, and faculty members in UK’s colleges and academic departments to establish a “curricular road map” to guide students through their study in a particular area. “This is a pretty serious commitment on UK’s part,” Greissman continued. “If UK can’t provide a course in the ‘curricular map’ in a department or college, it will make restitution, which might include waving a course, substituting a course, or even paying for an extra semester of study for a student.” Greissman said the proposed graduation contract will be submitted for approval to both the University Senate and the UK Board of Trustees before it is implemented. “The basic message to parents and students in the proposed graduation contract,” Greissman said, “is that UK is committed to seeing its students graduate in a timely fashion.” UK Hospital Trauma Center re-verified as Level IThe Trauma Center at the University of Kentucky Hospital has been verified again as a Level I trauma center by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the UK Trauma Center’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. “This significant distinction achieved by the UK Hospital reflects our level of commitment to our patients and our local community, as well as to the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Sandra Chambers, assistant hospital director, UK Hospital. “It serves to remind us that, nationally, we have some of the most highly trained physicians, surgeons and staff working to optimize patient care. It reassures Kentuckians that UK Hospital is among the best when it comes to the delivery of high quality care for all patients,” Chambers said. Trauma is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity for individuals younger than 40 years of age. Specialized trauma centers are effective in reducing rates of death and disability associated with injury. “The UK Hospital Trauma Center is one of only three Level I centers serving the needs of Kentuckians. It is the only center providing tertiary trauma care for Central and Southeastern Kentucky,” said Paul A. Kearney, chief of UK Hospital Trauma and Critical Care and professor of surgery, UK College of Medicine. Key elements of a Level I trauma center include 24-hour, in-house coverage by general surgeons and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine and critical care. The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons. For more information about ACS, visit its Web site at www.facs.org. NSA, UK launch ‘Ask Your Doctor’ stroke campaignIt crosses all social, economic and gender barriers. It often hits people so quickly, there’s little time to react unless you recognize the symptoms. Every year 750,000 Americans suffer a stroke or brain attack. Stroke kills approximately 3,000 Kentuckians each year. Remarkably, up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable. The National Stroke Association (NSA) is launching a national multi-year stroke education campaign in the southeastern United States, also known as the “stroke belt” due to the number of stroke deaths in this region. This inaugural year’s theme is “Ask Your Doctor - Am I at Risk for Stroke?” NSA encourages doctors and patients to discuss stroke more often. “I see the devastation that stroke brings. I see how much suffering could be prevented if more people knew about stroke. Four out of five families are affected by stroke in America,” said Kevin Pearce, associate professor and vice chair for academic affairs, Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and Kentucky’s “Ask Your Doctor” chairperson. NSA, in conjunction with the UK Chandler Medical Center, hosted a media opportunity in July to announce the “Ask Your Doctor” campaign in Kentucky. Pearce and Creed Pettigrew, director of UK’s Stroke Program and professor of neurology, UK College of Medicine, discussed the details of the education campaign as well as the latest in stroke research. Stroke survivors also shared their experiences. The campaign is a national effort to increase communication between physicians and their patients regarding stroke prevention, treatment and recovery. The campaign will span three to five years with three goals, increase communication about stroke between patients and doctors, increase the identification and treatment of stroke, and improve the management of stroke risk factors. NSA is a leading independent national non-profit organization devoting its efforts and resources to stroke - including prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and support for stroke survivors and their families. For more information, contact the NSA at 1-800-STROKES or visit www.stroke.org.
Master Teacher project changing science, math programs in AppalachiaSix teachers are improving math and science education programs in Appalachia as Regional Teacher Partners through the Master Teacher project. These exemplary teachers will work with selected school districts in the Appalachian region to support mathematics and science instructional reform. The Master Teacher project, an innovative program administered by the University of Kentucky, provides schools in 66 counties, 35 of which are in Eastern Kentucky, with instructional resources and leadership to improve mathematics and science education. Program improvement is tailor-made for particular schools’ needs. The math and science curriculums in schools in Appalachia are reviewed and assessed, strengths and weaknesses are identified, and suggestions for improvements are made. Regional Teacher Partners aid in instruction and guidance of teachers, administrators, and personnel, serving as core components of math and science program development. Their work at the district and school level includes such activities as professional development training, school and district planning, curriculum design, and program evaluations. The project, directed by Kim Zeidler, resource collaborative director at UK, is under the umbrella of the Appalachian Research Systemic Initiative (ARSI), an educational initiative headed up by Wimberly Royster, professor emeritus, UK College of Arts and Sciences. The Master Teacher project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is one of only five similar programs funded within the United States. “These teachers serve as real leaders in instructional reform. We feel very fortunate to have had such a competitive pool of applicants and to have been able to receive commitments from such dedicated and talented educators as our six selections,” said Zeidler. “This is a project whose success will depend a great deal upon the Regional Teacher Partners themselves, so I feel especially fortunate to have such a great team with which to work.” To learn more about ARSI and the Master Teacher project, visit www.arsi.org. Jennifer M. Bonck and Amanda Creekmore top |
